Indian-Chinese
Authentic Restaurant-Style Chilli Chicken Recipe
This Chilli Chicken is the crown jewel of Indo-Chinese fusion, featuring succulent chicken nuggets with a shatteringly crisp coating tossed in a glossy, pungent sauce. Balanced with the heat of green chillies and the umami depth of dark soy, it captures the vibrant street-food spirit of Kolkata's Tangra district.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 420 kcal
Method
Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, half the soy sauce, salt, egg, cornstarch, and flour. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
Deep fry the chicken pieces in hot oil until golden and crisp. For extra crunch, perform a 'double fry' by flash-frying them a second time at a higher temperature just before tossing in the sauce.
In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the WHOLE BLACK PEPPERCORNS as a TEMPERING; once they crackle, add the DRIED RED CHILLIES and STAR ANISE to be BLOOMED IN OIL for 30 seconds until fragrant and darkened.
Toss in minced garlic and ginger, followed by slit green chillies and onion petals. Sauté on high heat for 1 minute.
Add the cubed capsicum and stir-fry for 30 seconds, maintaining their crunch.
Pour in the soy sauce, green chilli sauce, and vinegar. Stir rapidly to emulsify the sauces with the residual oil.
Add the fried chicken to the wok. Toss vigorously on high flame so the sauce glazes the chicken perfectly.
Turn off the heat and garnish with the WHITE PEPPER POWDER and fresh spring onion greens to be FINISHED AT THE END for maximum aromatic impact.
Notes
To make ahead: Marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance and prep all the vegetables and sauce mixtures in small bowls.
The 'double fry' technique is essential for the chicken to stay crispy once the sauce hits it.
Always use a high-smoke point oil like peanut or sunflower oil and keep the wok smoking hot.
Star anise is a secret addition borrowed from Thai-Chinese fusion that adds a subtle licorice note to the background.
If you want a 'gravy' version, add a cup of chicken stock and a cornstarch slurry at Step 6.
